August 2023 news

View our news items from August 2023.

Thank you for ‘Thinking Before You Throw!’

We'd like to say a big thank you to the reducers, reusers, recyclers and think before you throwers of West Sussex!

Last year you helped us reuse and recycle over 200,000 tonnes of waste, helping us reduce the amount of general waste processed in the whole of the county.

We’re asking people to continue to ‘Think Before You Throw’ and help us recycle as much as we can, especially materials such as black plastic pots, tubs and trays, coffee cups and empty plastic bottles with the lids on. Remember to keep your recycling clean, dry and loose from plastic carrier bags.

In a recent survey we found that the top reason for not recycling at home was not knowing what can and can’t be recycled. We’re trying to help combat this by sharing a new animation series which shows what items can and can’t be recycled in West Sussex. As well as this the series shows what happens to the material after your bin is collected and how recycling and waste is processed.

Help us to increase recycling and reduce waste by watching the videos.

UKHarvest Community Food Hubs

In collaboration with Biffa and UKHarvest, each month we hold seven Community Food Hubs (one in each district and borough).

Community Food Hubs are open to all residents and are designed to help rescue food from suppliers that would otherwise have gone to waste, for a suggested donation of £3.50.

The hubs are child friendly and allow residents to access affordable food, learn low-cost cooking options and find support on a range of social issues. For a full list of West Sussex supported food hubs please visit our UK Harvest web page.

UKHarvest also host a large number of other food hubs throughout Chichester and the local area. For a full list of UKHarvest hubs please visit the UK Harvest website.

Has it 'bin' long enough?

Each summer West Sussex Fire and Rescue service are called to numerous fires that were started by disposable barbeques. These fires usually occur when they have been disposed off whilst the barbeque is too hot and the fire has been reignited either in the bin or upon collection by the crew. When disposing of your barbeque make sure to:

  • Sizzle: Don’t underestimate the heat of your barbecue as temperatures soar when cooking!
  • Sit: Leave your barbecue to cool down for several hours.
  • Soak: Cover your barbecue with plenty of water and remember: if it sizzles - it’s still too hot to be binned!

Find further information on safe BBQ disposal.

Compost bin subsidies

Do you have a garden? Why not get a compost bin? By keeping a container in the kitchen to collect your fruit and veg peelings for compost you could reduce your waste by up to 10%.

A lot of your kitchen waste can be recycled in this way, reducing your waste and saving you money by making compost that can be used on your garden. It’s free and an easy way to help the environment and give your garden a natural boost.

We have teamed up with Get Composting to help you buy a composter at a reduced price - a 220 litre compost bin for £18.00 or a 330 litre compost bin for £21.00.

Why not give composting a go this summer! Visit our Reduce your waste web page for more information on subsidies.

The Big Fix - update

In May we encouraged people to buy less and fix more with Recycle Devon’s Big Fix campaign. We worked with repair cafés in the county to support their events by offering promotion on repair cafés and advice on how to fix things at home.

Together West Sussex repair cafés fixed just under 300 items in May saving about 10,000kg of carbon (the equivalent of a drive around 40,000 miles!). For a list of repair cafés in West Sussex and how to use them visit our Community climate action map.

Waste prevention events

Throughout West Sussex, we have a team of passionate recycling and waste volunteers and advisers. They attend public and private events to promote waste prevention and are keen to answer questions on the county's recycling provision and waste prevention.

Why not pop by one of the events below and say hi!

For more information on any of the listed events below, or if you would like our team to attend an event, please email waste.prevention@westsussex.gov.uk.

August/September 2023 events

  • Monday 7 August - Information stand - Presentation Church, Haywards Heath - From 2.30pm.
  • Tuesday 8 August - Information stand - Buchan Country Park.
  • Wednesday 16 August - Information stand - Green Play Day, Florence Park - 2.00pm to 4.00pm.
  • Saturday 19 August - Information stand - Ashington Festival, Ashington Recreation Ground.
  • Wednesday 23 August - Information Stand - Littlehampton Loves Art - 11.00am to 3.00pm.
  • Saturday 9 September - Information stand - Haywards Heath Town Day, Muster Green, Haywards Heath - From 12 noon.
  • Saturday 9 September - Information stand - Littlehampton Town Day, Rosemead Park, Littlehampton - 12 noon to 5.00pm.